Olympic defending champion Du Li, who took the first gold at the Athens Games, wants to repeat the feat on home soil.
The women’s 10m air rifle final will take place at 10:30am today and around the same time, China’s 48kg weightlifter Chen Xiexia is also vying for the title. Both of them are running against time to win the first Olympic gold for the host.
Du Li could be China's first gold medal winner today. [CFP] |
The markswoman is usually the last one to shoot during the competition rounds.
“I really enjoy the final shot. It feels amazing,” Du said in Beijing during the Olympic try-out, where she ended up with a bronze.
Four years ago in Athens, the Olympic debutant surpassed Russian veteran Lioubov Galkina with her final winning 10.6 point shot to take the first title of the Games.
In Beijing the mission is tougher as she is fighting against about 10 strong rivals, such as Sonja Pfeilschifter from Germany, Katerina Emmons from Czech Republic and Galkina from Russia.
“The competition in this event is very close, because there are at least 10 other women at the same level (as me),” said Emmons after she won the women’s 10m air rifle at the Olympic test event in Beijing. She finished third at the 2004 Athens Games.
“I won the title but it doesn’t mean I can win the Olympic gold. It’s totally a different story.”
The current world record holder and world No 1 Pfeilschifter is also a favorite. The 37-year-old veteran has shown great form in recent tournaments, winning two World Cup events and breaking the five-year-long record held by Du with 505.0 points.
With dozens of titles under her belt, the German failed to collect an Olympic medal at the past two Games. She finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in 2000 and 2004.
Galkina, just back from maternal leave, won the European Championships this year. Though she could suffer because of a lack of regular training, she is still a strong medal contender.
Later in the afternoon, the shooting range will produce another gold medal in men’s 10m air pistol. The 22-year-old Pang Wei, together with veteran Tan Zongwei, may follow up with a gold after winning the title at the 2006 World Championships, in Croatia. Chinese shooters have claimed at least one medal in the event at each of the past five Olympics.
Pang is tipped as the Next Wang Yifu, the double Olympic champion in men’s air pistol and now the head coach of China’s shooting team.
Back in the lead after a successful 2008 season, including a silver at the Olympic try-out in Beijing and a bronze on the World Cup stage in Munich, the 31-year old Vladimir Gontcharov from Russia is also a strong title contender.